The present invention relates to an antifriction bearing, and more particularly relates to a construction having two sets of balls mounted on a stub shaft in such a way that the latter is not subjected to all of the axial and tilting forces that are applied to the bearing.
In anti-friction bearings having two sets of axially spaced rollers as disclosed in Federal Republic of Germany OS No. 28 43 597, large axial forces as well as tilting forces frequently occur upon travel around curves. Further, impact forces are often superimposed on the axial and tilting forces. Problems can arise with such bearings, particularly in view of the fact that the inner ring is removable from the hub for assembly reasons. The above noted forces act in a direction to push this inner ring axially off of the hub. Therefore it is necessary to secure this inner ring with an axial fastening that is capable of withstanding high loads.
In the case of automotive vehicles, securement is effected partly by having the inner ring seated with press fit on the stub shaft extension of the hub. Since the stub shaft must be small because of the small cross-section of the inner ring, the far greater part of the inner ring securement is achieved by having the outer face of the removable inner ring bear against a closure part, which is an element of a constant-velocity joint. The constant-velocity joint is then continued through the stub shaft and is fastened on the side of the hub remote from the stub shaft. Thus, this stub shaft must be capable of withstanding major portions of the above-mentioned tilting, axial and impact forces without breaking. This requires a large nut and a stub shaft of large cross-section resulting in a relatively rigid system, so that additional means must be provided in order to secure the nut against becoming loose.